Any experienced riders that have not had a bad crash?

gonga

Got talking today with a few mates(non that experienced) about the chances of having a bad off at some point.
The general thought was that if you ride up to your limit regularly then an off was inevitable at some point with all variables involved with mtb.
So,just wondered if there was anybody that has rode for a while that hasn't had a bad off as of yet(touch wood obviously! )and if not have you rode upto the limit of your ability?


p.s i would consider a bad off as one that involves injury's,lots of pain,broken bikes etc.

nicklouse

well without the body armour and full face there are a few times where i would have messed up the holiday

and another time where i had done the run many many times and just got caught out.

censored happens.

BoardinBob

Well, I've never fallen off when I've been going fast.

The only time I ever fall is when I'm going slowly.

I've been over the bars a good few times but always at low speed.

There have been a few times though where i've finished a high speed run and thought to myself that if I'd messed up at any point, I would've been in serious trouble.

rhyko7

it depends what you class as bad crash and lots of pain?
like you said to find the limit sometimes you have to go over it.
i have a mate who races DH & is really good, he very rarely crashes but when he does its really serious and at least a month off the bike. the faster & better you are, normally the worse the crash :roll: luckily my crashes are pathetic

nfrang

In 2007 i saw a jump that some kids had built up, and i thought "i can do that"...turns out i couldn't and snapped mi clavical after landing hard on my left shoulder :oops:

I pulled up on takeoff and turned the front wheel slightly...which doesn't work when landing really. Having a spill is inevitable really from time to time. Thinking about how to fall is probably better than thinking ya helmet and pads will save ya.

Andy B

No big off's as yet, been riding longer than I can remember





Maybe I should try harder eh

nicklouse

Andy_B wrote:

No big off's as yet, been riding longer than I can remember





Maybe I should try harder eh

Or get you wheels off the ground.

switchback18

Plenty of crashes, but no real injuries, only usual scrapes & never landed on my head.
Never assume you're gonna crash - if you have time, hang on & control it as much as you can, then a high speed crash can become a low speed crash, or not happen at all.

Not 100% effective, but I've watched mates just let go & almost chuck the bike away when there was no need.

And yeh, falling well is better than the protection. Just hard to learn. Still use the pads where appropriate though. I did judo when I was a kid & I reckon that helped with falling well.

Andy B

nicklouse wrote:

Andy_B wrote:

No big off's as yet, been riding longer than I can remember





Maybe I should try harder eh

Or get you wheels off the ground.

I did have my wheels off the ground once...

....whilst clipped in

before anyone says POIDH...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/305 ... 4ea4_b.jpg

switchback18

nicklouse wrote:

Andy_B wrote:

No big off's as yet, been riding longer than I can remember





Maybe I should try harder eh

Or get you wheels off the ground.

Anyone can learn! I was rubbish at air until well into my 30s, and so far no crashes due to air, always from cornering just a little bit too fast...

nicklouse

Andy_B wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

Andy_B wrote:

No big off's as yet, been riding longer than I can remember





Maybe I should try harder eh

Or get you wheels off the ground.

I did have my wheels off the ground once...

....whilst clipped in

before anyone says POIDH...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/305 ... 4ea4_b.jpg

Yeah it worked.

Andy B

Couldn't resist

nicklouse

But back on topic.

A lot does depend on the riding that you are doing. When on the XC bike the worst was a chain ring in the thigh and a face full of sphagnum moss when the front wheel stopped dead.

scale20

Not sure I should tempt fate and reply to this

I've only had one bad off and it was on a road ride on the way back from a trail, going down the road at about 20mph, next min I woke on the road with ambulance crews looking down at me. Mates told me the front wheel hit the kerb and I went over the bars and head first into one of those wooden telegraph poles, helmet disintigrated and I woke up in the road 20 mins later. Why is it you worry about your bike as soon as you crash? I would go as far to say that my lid saved the day there, after that I never go out without one.

The rest of my off's seem to be at low speed where that rock catches you out and your away over the bars. Appart from that I'm pretty good at staying on the bike.

tlw1

its a percentage game, the more you cycle / the harder you cycle the chance of a crash increases.

Currently at the end of 2 months off due to a road bike crash & that was because I had backed off!

JamesBrckmn

i wouldn't exactly call myself experienced, but the worst crash i've had was going round a tight corner too fast (on road) that was adverse camber and i was pretty knew then so i didn't know you should keep your inside pedal raised, so i kept pedalling, the inside pedal hit the road, lifting the wheels of the ground and i ended up scraping along the ground. I lost a lot of skin on my knee and elbow, grated my pedal on the tarmac too (it was plastic) and probably would have grated my head too, if not for my helmet. After that i realised you needed to raise your inside pedal and brake for corners - well it's how you learn these things, but it would have been easier if someone had told me. That only kept me off my bike for about 5 minutes though, as i cycled home.

dave_hill

Again, at risk of tempting fate, in twenty-odd years of mountain biking I've had my share of "offs" but never one that's resulted in physical injury worse than a few scrapes (and superficial ones at that).

I think the worst one I had was coming down of Walna Scar towards Dunnerdale long before the track was repaired and surfaced - in fact it was probably before most normal people had thought about taking a bike over Walna Scar - got caught in a rut and ended up somersaulting over the bars, landing flat on my back.

Bearing in mind that it was before back-packs were commonly used, I had a largish bum-bag on and I sort of hyper-extended my back over it. I was 17 at the time and I've had a weak back since.

I could probably ride a lot faster than I do, but I have a morbid horror of facial injuries and it kind of holds me back a bit. Hence me wearing a full face lid for what some folks might call tame terrain.

gonga

Perhaps I'm being a little paranoid but seeing folk wheeled into the back of ambulances regularly at trail centres has got wondering if i should always hold back a little as any injury that involved time off work would be disastrous. :shock:
I'm finding that the more I'm riding the more my technique is improving and subsequently I'm riding faster.

Anonymous

here comes fate...

i pretty much fall off everytime i ride but this is nothing to do with me pushing any limits, its to do with me being rubbish. luckily i have pretty much always known how to fall properly so rarely get injured.

however during a really simple and very slow ride a couple of yrs back i fell of twice in about 2 minutes, i reckon the first fall cracked a couple of ribs, the second definately broke them, i was in tatters.

blister pus

I think a "How To Fall Off Your Bike Properly" should be a stickied topic.

I'm still not clear about the correct procedure having failed miserably and crucified my ribs. I'm going with a tuck and roll routine - so that's head bent forward as you fall and roll ball like as much as possible - but that's hard to "hard wire" into yourself especailly when you get thrown off unexpectedly.

P-Jay

When I started out 4 years a go I didn't seem to get on a bike without falling, but after a couple of years I'd slam one or twice a year, usually going onto something usually a berm too quick and braking on it and losing the front.

I get a bit spun out by it. I binned it once a Brechfa, my mate caught up and found me flat on my back, feet still on the pedals, still pedalling ha ha. Not bad considering I run flats.

switchback18

P-Jay wrote:

I get a bit spun out by it. I binned it once a Brechfa, my mate caught up and found me flat on my back, feet still on the pedals, still pedalling ha ha. Not bad considering I run flats.

Best thing I've heard in a while. For some reason it makes me respect you!

ESHER SHORE

I have had some brutual crashes in 25 years of MTB riding, some have broken bones, others have caused muscles and ligament injuries, some have just given me heart-stopping scares that have left me thankful to be alive!

its actually healthy once-in-a-while to have a "big crash" that lets you walk away / keep riding but one that you "feel" for a few days or week afterwards as you are bruised or cut!

its usually the slower speed, technical riding that causes crashes, rather than stuff like this, where you would probably wake up after a month in hospital in a coma!

cee

ESHER SHORE wrote:

its actually healthy once-in-a-while to have a "big crash" that lets you walk away / keep riding but one that you "feel" for a few days or week afterwards as you are bruised or cut!

I agree....it tells you when you are being too cocky.....

Also...i reckon its healthy to get a good kicking a couple of times in your life.....same reason.

audiophile

If you never go past the limit, you're not reaching the limit. If you ride a bike, you have to accept that you'll faceplant once in a while.

_Ferret_

I never seemed to have a problem with crashing til I got my fully and upped the tempo a bit. I've now worked though most of the parts trying to get more control and traction out of the bike and in the process finding the limitations of my kit and therefore knowing what could still do with improving (i.e. crashing continually).

Had a bit of an off a month ago when I went out on my hardtail for the first time in ages. Completely forgot about only having 80mm suspension at the front and skinny race wheels - slammed to the ground at about 40km/h on the first corner. My shoulder still feels screwed...

I have a theory that is you don't ever crash then you are either doing something wrong or doing it really really right.

stubs

I once had a big fast spill that only resulted in cuts and bruises I just jumped up laughed and carried on riding. Six months later I rode the same trail stopped where I had my big wipeout and saw how close I came to going over the edge of a ravine it would have been a 50 odd foot drop onto pointy rocks. Still gives me the willies that corner.

However a couple of spills can be good for you I was getting wound up over a rocky descent at Rivington every time I rode it I either fell off or ended up walking down and it started to do my head. It was ruining the ride because I knew what was coming. So I went and rode it and rode it and rode it till I beat the rocky sucker. I came off a couple more times but now it doesnt bother me and I realise it was a piece of pish all along just took a couple of offs to get me mad.

rhyko7

i think if you bulk up by lifting weights you do less damage when you crash because weightlifting strengthens your bones aswell as muscles, ive been riding over 10 years and have only ever broken a finger (touch wood) its debatable whether ive broken my foot-one Dr said i had the other said i hadnt :roll:
but ive had some mega nasty crashes and got up and walked away, maybe it just luck, but i like to believe its cos ive been on the weights.